Energy Stave
The Energy Stave is a Covenant melee weapon. It is used exclusively by the Elite Honor Guard, Brute Honor Guard, and Honor Guard Ultra. It is a long metal staff, and has a forked tip with a series of orange panels although there have been blue staves observed. These weapons are long staves with a spear-like end that is similar in color to the "glowing armor panels" of their wielders. Not much is known about these exotic weapons, except that they have a length of 527 centimeters (17.3 feet). They do not seem to have much of a combat purpose but more a ceremonial one, as the Honor Guard Sangheili will use the Plasma Rifle, Energy Sword, and Covenant Carbines in combat. However, they were used by Brutes to subdue any Grunts and Jackals that came too close to the Council Chamber during one of the High Prophet of Truth's sermons regarding the discovery of the Sacred Icon. This weapon is never used in game-play by any characters. It is possible that the staves are fully-designed for combat, just that traditional infantry armaments are favored by the Honor Guardsmen. Appearances ''Halo 2'' Elite Honor Guards are seen with them regularly during the trial of Thel Vadam and guarding important areas of High Charity during cutscenes but never use them in combat. During Halo 2 they can be seen in the hands of the Brute Honor Guards during both the opening and closing cinematic of the Halo 2 level Gravemind but they are simply tossed aside, as the Brutes prefer other weaponry to protect the Hierarchs. Also, after the replacement of the Elites in the Covenant Hierarchy, the weapon's religious significance died out. During the cutscene where the Brutes take power you see them fighting over the Energy Staves, meaning the Honor Guards that have the pikes could have a higher value or rank than Honor Guards who don't have them at all. Novels It is also featured in the novel Halo: Contact Harvest when the two San'Shyuum go to the minister to recruit him as a Hierarch. It can be seen in last sections of Halo: The Cole Protocol as well, when Zhar approached the Prophets with an Energy Sword at hand. Not much else was written, except that plasma was created at the tip of the spear- suggesting that the weapon has unseen killing potential. ''Halo Wars'' An early or different version of the weapon can be seen in a Halo Wars cinematic. It is not used in gameplay, only in cinematics. It can be seen in combat for the first time here, and their abilities are finally gauged. It seems this version of the Energy Stave is for use in actual combat situations instead of ornamental use. In the cutscene "Monsters," the weapon can be seen to cut though another pike as well as shear a Sangheili's armor. The stave can also been seen used as a thrown weapon to great effect. This suggests the weapon is relatively light, or it could just be the fact that a Spartan was throwing it. Also notable is that it was only the top section of the cut stave that was thrown. This stave may have been completely remodelled into the one we see in Halo 2 as many aspects have changed, so this cannot be trusted to assess the Halo 2 era weapon. The changes from Halo Wars ''to ''Halo 2 include the added details and the orange-glowing symmetrical appearance as opposed to the blue asymmetrical appearance in Halo Wars more akin to a halberd. Gallery HonorGuard02.jpg|A Sangheili Honor Guardsman holding an Energy Stave. Unknown covenant weapon.PNG‎|The Energy Stave in Halo Wars, an earlier version of the one in Halo 2. HW Alice-130 Energy Stave.jpg|Alice blocking an attack from an Honor Guard Elite, equipped with an Energy Stave. Appearances Sources Category:Covenant Weapons